The present invention relates to a unit for transferring cigarette portions from a dual rod cigarette manufacturing machine to a filter assembly machine.
More specifically, the term "dual rod cigarette manufacturing machine" is intended to mean a cigarette manufacturing machine of the type described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,705, which provides for supplying a filter assembly machine with two continuous cigarette rods traveling in an axial direction at substantially constant speed.
At the output of the dual rod cigarette manufacturing machine, both the continuous rods are cut by the same cutting head into normally "double" cigarette portions, i.e. portions twice the length of those which, when joined to a respective filter, go to form a normal filter-tipped cigarette.
When cut, the double cigarette portions, pushed from behind by the respective continuous rods, continue traveling axially into a pickup position in which they engage transfer members interposed between the output of the manufacturing machine and an input device of the filter assembly machine. The filter assembly machine input device is normally defined by a roller which is normally mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the continuous rods, and presents a succession of peripheral seats parallel to the rods and traveling transversely with the roller about said axis.
Known transfer members for transferring the cigarette portions from the manufacturing machine to the filter assembly machine are normally defined by a revolving platform presenting a number of arms, each of which is fitted on the end with a gondola for simultaneously picking up two side by side cigarette portions--each cut off a respective rod--and for transferring them parallel to themselves from the output of the manufacturing machine into respective seats on the input roller of the filter assembly machine, and along an arc of substantially 90.degree. about an axis perpendicular to the rotation axis of the input roller.
Though highly efficient and reliable, known transfer devices of the above type are invariably expensive and difficult to produce and set up, mainly on account of the high output capacity of modern machines (roughly 10-12,000 cigarettes a minute).